Thursday, 19 November
Chandannagar's Jagaddhatri Puja 2026: dates, pujas and getting there
Jagaddhatri Puja, often spelt Jagadhatri, has its main day, Navami, on Thu 19 Nov 2026. The town people travel to for it is Chandannagar, on the Hooghly, about 43 minutes by local train from Howrah. Neighbourhood pujas fill its streets, the lights are the town's own craft, and the procession takes the images down to the river. So what can you plan now, and what is still not fixed? Below: the dates, the pujas to know by name, the Strand, trains there and back, the road, and the notices that have not come out yet.
Updated
In this guide
- The date: Navami is Thu 19 Nov 2026; the committee's own days are not announced yet.
- Pujas to know by name, from the Central Committee's own guide map.
- The Strand, the tree-lined walk along the river.
- Trains from Howrah: about 43 minutes, with the first and last trains each way.
- By road and from the airport.
- What the police, the railway and the committee have not announced yet.
Thursday, 19 November
Thursday, 19 November
The Navami puja is on Thu 19 Nov 2026 by drikpanchang. Navami runs from 6.04 am on Wed 18 Nov to 7.05 am on Thu 19 Nov, and Thursday takes the puja because Navami is running at its sunrise. Dashami runs from 7.05 am on Thu 19 Nov to 7.15 am on Fri 20 Nov, so the calendar alone does not tell you the procession night. Chandannagar's own days, and the date of its procession, are fixed by the Central Committee. Neither is announced yet.
The lights, and the face
Chandannagar's lights are made by the town's own artisans, and they go out to festivals across Bengal, India and abroad. By English Wikipedia's account they stay up from Panchami to Dashami, and the procession carries them through the streets. English Wikipedia credits Sridhar Das with the animated light panels. A 2024 paper by Soumitra Sarkar in the Netaji Subhas Open University's social sciences journal calls him “the wizard of light” and “a key figure in the fame of Chandannagar lighting”. The same paper notes one thing that does not change with the theme: however new the pandal, the goddess's face is kept in the traditional form. How the puja began here is not known for certain. English Wikipedia's account of it starts by saying so.
The pujas to know by name, and the Strand
Every puja named here is on the Central Committee's own guide map (the 2019 edition) and in a second source. The order is not a ranking. The 2026 map is not out yet.
Lakshmiganj and Halderpara
Outside KolkataChandannagar
The pujas the town calls its old ones. Lakshmiganj Chaulpatti is home to Adi Maa, about 300 years old by local account; the sources differ on the exact age. Lakshmiganj Kapurepatti is in the same Lakshmiganj market area. Bengali Wikipedia says Halderpara's Adi puja is known as Ashwatthatala's Burima.
Gondalpara
Outside KolkataChandannagar
Two names on the map from the same neighbourhood: Gondalpara Ambika Athletic Club and Gondalpara Moran Road.
Bagbazar, Barabazar, Neogi Bagan and more
Outside KolkataAcross Chandannagar
More names the map and a second source share: Bagbazar, Barabazar, Neogi Bagan, Madhyanchal, Palpara and Tematha. Chandannagar's Bagbazar and Barabazar are the town's own neighbourhoods, not Kolkata's.
The Strand
Outside KolkataOn the Hooghly, Chandannagar
A tree-lined walk along the river, as the Hooghly district administration and English Wikipedia both describe it, with Sacred Heart Church and the Chandannagar Museum and Institute on or near it. Bengali Wikipedia puts the immersion at Rani Ghat, a ghat on the Strand. From the station it is about 2 km, half an hour on foot, by our map reading.
Nearest railway station: Chandannagar, 1.8 km
How to reach Chandannagar from Kolkata
By train
Chandannagar station (code CGR) is on the Howrah-Bardhaman main line, about 33 km from Howrah by English Wikipedia's count. Bandel and Bardhaman locals from Howrah take 31 to 47 minutes, usually about 43. Daily locals leave Howrah every 10 to 30 minutes from about 4.15 am to 11.45 pm. Coming back, the last daily local leaves Chandannagar at 10.56 pm, with a MEMU at 11.22 pm; the first morning local is at 3.18 am. Timetables change; check NTES before you go. Tickets on the RailOne app.
By road
The town is about 40 km by road from central Kolkata, and Grand Trunk Road (State Highway 6) runs right through it. The police traffic plan for the Puja nights, with parking and no-entry points, is not announced for 2026 yet. Buses: we could not confirm a bus route from Kolkata with any operator, so we give no route number.
By air
The nearest airport is Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum. From there it is about 40 km by road, an hour or more in traffic. Or go in to Howrah and take a local.
On the Puja nights
Chandannagar Police Commissionerate has not put up a traffic, parking or no-entry notice for this year's Puja yet. We have seen no Eastern Railway special trains announced for the 2026 Jagaddhatri nights yet. No 2026 guide map or procession route from the Central Committee is out yet. For a sense of the pattern: the committee's own map in 2019 marked the procession route, the no-entry points, police assistance booths and special parking. That was the 2019 map, not this year's. We will add each notice here when it is out.
A story for the night
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Read on the blog
Questions people ask
Which place is famous for Jagadhatri Puja?
Chandannagar in Hooghly, and Krishnanagar in Nadia. The Hooghly district administration's own page names these two towns as the ones famous for this goddess.
Why is Chandannagar famous for Jagadhatri Puja?
For its neighbourhood pujas under one Central Committee, its lights, made by local artisans, and its procession. By English Wikipedia's account the procession runs from Dashami night to the next dawn. Bengali Wikipedia puts the immersion at Rani Ghat on the Strand, and says 75 to 80 pujas are picked for it each year by lottery.
Which day is Jagadhatri Puja in 2026?
The Navami puja is on Thursday 19 November 2026 by drikpanchang. Navami runs from 6.04 am on Wednesday 18 November to 7.05 am on Thursday. Dashami follows, to 7.15 am on Friday 20 November. Chandannagar's own days and procession date are not announced yet.
When is the Chandannagar procession in 2026?
The 2026 procession date is not announced yet. The Central Committee fixes the procession date and route each year. We will add both here when they are out.
How do I go from Howrah to Chandannagar, and when is the last train back?
Take a Bandel or Bardhaman local from Howrah to Chandannagar station: about 43 minutes. The last daily local back leaves Chandannagar at 10.56 pm, then a MEMU at 11.22 pm. Check NTES on the day; we have seen no special trains for the Puja announced yet.
Is there a Chandannagar Jagadhatri Puja map for 2026?
Not yet. The Central Committee printed its own guide map in 2019, with the pujas numbered, the procession route, no-entry points and parking. A 2026 map has not been announced.
Send it to someone
We add the committee's days, the procession date, the police traffic plan and any special trains here when they are announced. Jagaddhatri Puja 2026 · Kali Puja 2026 · Bangla Panjika